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The first Hong Kong Real Estate Investment Trust (HK‐REIT), the Link REIT, was successfully launched in late 2005. The retail tranche of its initial public offering (IPO) was 19 times oversubscribed, and the IPO is the largest of its kind in the world until now. Despite the initial phenomenon success, there have been only three others to follow and get listed. Indeed, it took Hong Kong over two years to have her first Link REIT listed after the legislation for REIT products had come into force. The development of REIT market in Hong Kong has been slow compared to its counterparts in some other Asian countries. This paper aims to explain the somewhat sluggish growth of the HK‐REIT market. Its development is compared with some emerging Asian markets as well as the more mature markets in the USA and Australia. The study is focused on the legislations that govern REITs in different jurisdictions, their different REIT market envi‐ronments and the rationale from the respective governments to introduce their REITs. It is concluded that the sluggish development of HK‐REITs is mainly due to its market environment and industry structure. There is not enough incentive for developers to dispose their assets in the form of REITs. Besides, the HK‐REIT Code was initially criticized by the industry as being too restrictive. Though subsequent amendments on the HK‐REIT Code have been made to make it more conducive to the development of REIT market, further sustainable success will however hinge on the willingness from sponsors, particularly large developers, to offer their portfolios of properties for sale through REITs.

The aim of the paper is to determine the dynamic relationships between REIT returns and those of other financial and real unsecuritized assets internationally.

Using a multi‐factor model the flexible least squares (FLS) coefficients of REIT returns against stock, bond and direct property returns are derived for the REIT markets of the USA, Australia, Japan and Singapore.

The correlation between REIT returns and those of other financial and real assets varies not only across countries but also inter‐temporally. REITs can certainly provide diversification benefits to a multi‐asset investment portfolio. However, due to the time‐varying nature of the correlation, active management is advised and REITs should be not be viewed as a complete substitute for direct property investment.

There are two major limitations to the study. Firstly, the sampling periods used are not the same across the countries due to differing market maturity. Secondly, there are also sheer differences in market sizes. However, as REIT markets around the world continue to grow and become more mature in terms of their breath and depth, there will be a richer set of data available for more in‐depth analyses based on the methodology presented here.

The conclusions on both mature and emerging REIT markets could provide some ideas for international investors as to how they should formulate their time‐varying investment strategies and reconstruct their portfolios as mature markets become more efficient and emerging ones more mature.

The inclusion of Asian markets enables investigation of the correlation between REITs and different assets in respect not only of different market conditions, but also different geographical locations and market maturity. The international dimension of this paper may appeal to readers and investors who are interested in identifying diversification opportunities around the globe, especially so when the capital and property markets around the world are becoming more integrated and globalized.

This paper aims to identify the imbedded option value in price of auctioned land in Hong Kong, and to propose a more accurate valuation method in predicting land price.

Based on records of land auctions and property transactions during two periods of very different market conditions, land prices are estimated using the traditional hedonic pricing method as well as the option model modified from Quigg. The results are compared to deduce whether there is any imbedded option value, thus concluding whether the option model facilitates a more accurate valuation of land prices.

This study concludes that land auction prices have embedded option value in waiting to develop land. Option premiums increase with implied volatilities, which go up during market downturns, suggesting that developers place higher value on the option to develop during recessions.

The accuracy of the analysis may have been compromised by the limited number of land auctions conducted and the difficulties in inferring the value of multi‐ownership residential buildings from sample transactions of their constituent individual units. Future research will benefit from a larger sample of transactions.

This paper illustrates that real option models provide the property industry with a valuation tool that addresses the concern arising from the irreversibility of investment decisions.

The study finds out the option premiums of vacant land in Hong Kong, lending empirical support to the application of option‐based models for more accurate land valuation under different market conditions.